While Patrick Mahomes dominated the league through his third Super Bowl appearance and second victory, the 2022 MVP was not the cover player for the next Madden game. Instead, Buffalo Bills quarterback, Josh Allen, was chosen over other elite talents.
The #Madden24 Cover is yours, @JoshAllenQB!!
— Madden NFL 24 (@EAMaddenNFL) June 7, 2023
Welcome to the Fam @BuffaloBills pic.twitter.com/3c8Kxh61k3
Although Mahomes led the league in both passing yards and touchdowns, he was not selected since the Chiefs signal-caller has already been chosen twice, a Madden record tied with Tom Brady and Barry Sanders. Mahomes was the clear-cut choice, but it would appear EA Sports does not want him to be the cover every year, even if he is the best player in football.
Instead, Josh Allen was selected. The Buffalo Bills quarterback threw the seventh-most yards, and second-most touchdowns, but third-most interceptions. While his play took a dip at the end of the season due to an elbow injury, teammate absence, and witnessing Damar Hamlin collapse on the field, Allen was still chosen.
The five-year quarterback also added 762 yards rushing and seven touchdowns while giving up eight fumbles. Josh Allen checked in at a top-5 or top-3 quarterback talent, but he does have a case of playing hero ball in big games which can cost his team a victory.
The Bills were the clear-cut favorites to win the Super Bowl this time last year, but injuries and Hamlin’s collapse changed this team, causing them to lose to the Cincinnati Bengals in the divisional round. While Allen is an elite player that is deserving of this award, let’s take a look at some other candidates for this selection that might have been better received.
Joe Burrow
Burrow threw for the fifth-most yards, tied-second-most touchdowns, and seventh-most touchdowns. While all of these statistics are as good or better than Josh Allen, Burrow ran for 505 fewer yards, two fewer rushing touchdowns, but eight fewer fumbles than Josh Allen.
Burrow did have a slow start due to appendicitis holding him back from training camp, but he hit his stride mid-to-late season, pushing the Bengals to an AFC Championship appearance, and a near win. The biggest reason for Burrow being on the cover over Josh Allen was the divisional round victory over the Bills in Buffalo, but as said previously, injuries were a factor. Hopefully, Burrow can continue to impress and secure himself on a Madden cover in the future.
Jalen Hurts
While being surrounded by the best supporting cast in all of football, Hurts took a major step up from a pedestrian quarterback to a great player this past offseason. He led his team to a Super Bowl appearance and was only a few plays away from a victory.
Hurts rushed for six more yards than Allen, but threw 13 fewer touchdowns. The Eagles quarterback was who many projected to be the cover of Madden ‘24 due to his rushing abilities, but it would appear that his lack of offensive yards and touchdowns held him back.
Kelce Brothers
Chiefs Tight End, Travis Kelce, and Eagles Center, Jason Kelce, matched up this past Super Bowl, being the first brotherly dup to do so. Both players are the best at their position and have continued to improve their entire team when called upon.
Travis Kelce led all tight ends in receptions, yards, and touchdowns after the Chiefs traded away superstar wide receiver, Tyreek Hill. For the Eagles, they found Jason Kelce a piece to rebuild the team around after their 2018 Super Bowl victory.
A Madden cover with these two players in the vein of Madden ‘10 or Madden ‘22 would have been amazing to see. The chances of two brothers, the best at their position, facing off in the Super Bowl is incredibly rare, and Madden ‘24 should have commemorated the feat.
Christian McCaffrey
Although McCaffrey only had the seventh-most rushing yards, the elite running back talent was traded from Carolina to San Francisco, benefiting significantly from the trade. In his first game as a 49er, McCaffrey threw, received, and rushed for a touchdown.
He is the best running back in the game right now, and after being given a second chance in San Fransisco, it seems only right that EA Sports does good by him and makes him the cover athlete. He is a face of the league, and by all accounts, has an elite work ethic and is a major locker-room player.